London's broom army fights back

Citizens came together to begin cleaning up yesterday after one of the worst nights of rioting the capital has ever seen.

Using the social networking site Twitter, shell-shocked citizens united under the hashtags #riotcleanup and #riotwombles to make plans to repair the city's ravaged streets.


Brooms at the ready, people brought together through Twitter
gather to clear up Clapham Junction, devastated in the riots

Celebrities igot behind the growing online movement, as users shared information on the worst affected areas and posted pictures of volunteer clean up teams.

But experts warned that the riots which broke out across London and other cities have caused 'tens of millions of pounds' of damage.

Nonetheless, concerned people from London's ravaged suburbs flooded Twitter with their plans and intentions to do their part to help out those affected by the violence.

The shift in emphasis from carnage to clean up marked a change in fortunes for Twitter, which had been criticised as an organising tool for rioting youngsters.

Ella McSweeney wrote: 'Follow #riotwombles to see how twitter can be used for common good.' But reflecting the social backdrop to the past three days of violence, some users still found time for bitter comments.